April 27, 2014 06:00 AM CDTApril 25, 2014 03:06 PM CDTSounding Off: East Dallas readers tell us if they think city should repeal bike helmet law

Sounding Off: East Dallas readers tell us if they think city should repeal bike helmet law

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DMN file photo

A bicyclist, wearing a helmet, makes her way across Main Street from Hill Avenue using the bike lanes. Hill Avenue leads to the Santa Fe Trail. Some area cyclists would like to see the city’s helmet ordinance repealed.

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The Dallas Bicycle Task Force met last week to dicuss the 2011 Dallas Bike Plan. The group wants a connected bikeway system for Dallas, but they also want to repeal the city’s helmet law. Do you think removing the helmet law is a good idea?

Paul Pedigo, Lake Highlands: I absolutely believe that adult citizens should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to wear a helmet. They are endangering no one but themselves by not wearing one. The question is, how committed to individual rights and freedoms are we?

Bob Kennedy, Lakewood: I think it makes good sense for a cyclist to wear a helmet. I know of many people who avoided serious head injury because they were wearing one. That said, I agree that the helmet law should be repealed. I have never seen it enforced, so what good is a law that is not enforced? People should be free to do stupid things as long as they are not endangering others.

Barbara King, East Dallas: I think the helmet law should have been repealed years ago. The main reason to repeal it is that it’s not enforceable. I believe that all laws should be enforceable. Otherwise, people ignore them (pooper scooper law, degree of tint allowed on car windows, littering, dogs can’t be tethered, etc.). If there is no penalty or the possibility of a penalty, why bother to comply? On the other side of the coin, do we really want our police to spend their time writing tickets for biking without a helmet? In addition to that, who in their right mind would give their real name to a policeman if they were getting a ticket for biking without a helmet?

Martin Drew, Lakewood: The helmet ordinance must be kept at all times.

Ellen Childress, Far East Dallas: The safety stats for helmets on bicyclists are mixed across the nation. There are some complaints that helmets, because of the way they are made, make it difficult to hear vehicles behind and on either side when riding in traffic. Some cities report reduced numbers of head injuries as a result of helmets while others state that requiring helmets just causes the numbers of bicycle riders to drop. My personal opinion is that children should have to wear helmets while adults should have the choice, but that bicycle safety rules and laws should be taught just like driver education for those who wish to drive cars, and cyclists should be ticketed when they disobey those rules and laws. And this bicycle safety education needs to start when a child gets its first tricycle or bicycle. We drive through our neighborhood and see children and adults riding bicycles at night, wearing dark clothing with no lights or reflectors on their bicycles. We watch cyclists in spandex and helmets speed through stop signs, often causing cars to swerve or lock up the brakes. We see cyclists go through red lights, ride three abreast in one lane on two-lane streets, and in other ways demonstrate a complete lack of courtesy, no knowledge or use of traffic laws and no respect for drivers or pedestrians. Obeying traffic laws, being courteous to other people, leaving the ears free of earbuds, wearing reflective clothing at night and being alert to traffic when riding on city streets would probably do more to prevent dangerous accidents.

Roger T. Quillin, Lake Highlands: All bicyclists should wear a helmet at all times, regardless of age, experience or location. A helmet is to a cyclist what a seat belt is to a driver: both save lives. So what if we’re the only city in Texas to have such a law? I’m proud to have Dallas lead the way on this one.

Victor Aves, Lowest Greenville: I love the idea of a connected bikeway for Dallas. It would certainly make it safer and easier on both cars and bikes if the bikes had their own path. As for the Dallas law that requires bicycle helmets, I think it should be a personal choice, depending on where and how you ride your bicycle. If motorcyclists going 50-plus miles an hour on the freeway are not required to wear a helmet, why should a child with training wheels learning to ride a bike wear one? I had a friend whose car broke down, and he opted to ride his bicycle into work. He was pulled over and given a citation by a police officer for not wearing a bike helmet … he was only traveling a half-mile from his home. Needless to say, he was late for work!

Gerald Fitzgerald, East Dallas: Yes, it is a good idea [to repeal the law]. I own a bike helmet. I never wear it. It is made out of styrofoam and won’t protect me from anything. The helmet law is just another intrusion by liberals who want to tell me what to do.

Al Raya, Lake Highlands: One of the most essential roles of government is to help those who cannot help themselves. It is reasonable to believe that educated people can think for themselves. In most cases, we believe and act upon the idea that when a child reaches the age of 18, they too can make prudent choices. Under that age, we would like to think that parents — and in the absence of parents, the government — would help protect children who have not enough education or experience to act in their own best interest. So under the age of 18, wearing helmets should be a requirement, but optional over that age.

Mary Weir, White Rock: I think removing the helmet law is the worst thing I have ever heard of; let’s face it, folks: This is not a biker-friendly city. Case in point: I live across from the White Rock spillway. I am retired, but when I worked I would try to go down Winstead around 7:45 a.m. I know for sure that the city built a trail that was not on Winstead for the bikers to use. Did they use it? No. At the early morning hours when people are trying to get to work, an entire group of bikers would take up all of Winstead, which is so narrow anyway.

George Brown, Piedmont/Scyene: I don’t think there should be a helmet law, but I do think cyclists of all ages should be required to have insurance to cover themselves and anyone they might hurt or any damage they might do to others’ property. I started out my carrier riding a bike for a printing supplier doing delivery work in downtown Dallas in 1960. Riding could be safe if everyone would obey the traffic laws, but we all know that ain’t likely. Just like we know there will never be safe, bike-only lanes.

Philip Mendershausen, Casa Linda Estates: I have motorcycled for most of my 72 years, and my view is that helmets should be optional. I think Texas has it just right: If you certify to the Department of Public Safety that you have health insurance and send in $5, you are sent a decal for your license plate (or frame) and are free to drive legally without a helmet if that is your choice. So it should be with scooters and bicycles. There are two conflicting givens here. First, in the event of an accident, you are undoubtedly well-served by wearing a good helmet. But any competent helmet will physically and psychologically restrict your visibility and hearing, thus increasing the likelihood of that accident. Every cyclist has a different driving style and experience; hence my view that every adult should have the same option, although I will concede that minors should be required to wear a helmet. Helmets themselves are variable in quality, so legislating their use without legislating their quality is ridiculous. Some motorcycle helmets and all bicycle helmets are nothing but toys.

Ron Cowart, Munger Place: I love to ride a bike like any other enthusiast. However, I confine my riding to trails instead of streets for a number of reasons. Sure, the cracks in the pavements and crater-sized potholes are dangerous to riders, but also because bikes and motor vehicles don’t mix. Many of Dallas’ streets are now marked to allow full bike usage. I believe this very dangerous mix is creating a tragedy that is waiting around each turn. While recently driving, a car in front of me had to brake suddenly after stopping at a marked intersection to keep from crashing into the side of a fast-pedaling bike-rider breezing through the intersection — its rider had never bothered to slow or to look for traffic — his ears crammed with earbuds attached to his Walkman. By the way, the bike rider was not wearing a helmet. Sure, it’s fun to ride down the streets, and maybe there’s a little power behind the fact that bikers can make frustrated motorists crowd into slow-moving lines while slowly soft-pedaling down the street. Bicyclists who recklessly blow through intersections or who ignore rules of the road and traffic laws are also those who often resist the greatest when it comes to wearing a helmet. I could personally care less, but who wants to be the good guy who accidentally sideswipes a careless rider and has to live with the fact that this jerk was either killed or permanently maimed all because he didn’t want to conform to the law? What’s next for Dallas? How about creating a special bike lane in the center of LBJ freeway. Now, that would be an exhilarating ride.

George Francis, Maplewood: I think it is foolish to ride without a helmet, and I would urge all of those who do so to update their organ donor cards. However, I do think removing the helmet law is a good idea for two reasons. First, I see so many bicyclists without their helmets that I would assume that people are either unaware of the rule or its not being enforced. Second, I find it highly inconsistent that motorcyclists over the age of 18 are free to go helmetless while bicyclists are not. So I would say eliminate the inconsistancy, and upgrade the stock in our organ banks.

Swan Thompson, East Dallas: No. Safety laws are generally inconvenient, but we need them. For example, I hate wearing seat belts because they slither up to try to choke me. But I always wear a seat belt because the inconvenience is minimal compared with the alternative. (I have a permanent lump that lives on my forehead beneath my bangs from an accident that occurred when I was a small child; I flew from the backseat right into the metal dashboard.) I understand why some folks want to eliminate the law, but drivers in Dallas do not look for bicycles. Even worse, when they do see a bicycle, they often fail to yield to it. Before we can eliminate the helmet law, we need a massive re-education campaign for drivers. I have seen cars and trucks repeatedly rumble by cyclists, often nearly running them off the road. To be fair, I’ve also seen cyclists run stop signs, etc. Repealing the helmet law might favor new business, but we can’t afford the casualties.

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